Competitive Technologies, Inc (CTT), a technology transfer and licensing provider, has granted Soteira, Inc, of Dedham, Massachusetts, a developer of spinal products used in the treatment of vertebral fractures due to osteoporosis, cancer, and trauma, an exclusive license to manufacture, use, and sell products using CTT's patented nanotechnology bone biomaterial for applications related to the human spine. The technology relates to an injectible nanoparticle calcium phosphate–based biomaterial developed by Dr. Brian Genge, a professor in the department of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of South Carolina. The bone cement is an easily flowable, moldable paste that conforms to and interdigitates with the host bone. The cement rapidly hardens in situ, forming a solid bonelike structure capable of stabilizing fractured bone within 10 minutes. The cement resorption is predicted to remodel into bone over a period of time.

In addition to treating degenerative diseases of the spine, CTT's technology can be applied to a variety of orthopedic procedures such as craniofacial reconstruction, hip replacement, or other skeletal use. The bone biomaterial has superior compressive strength, making it suitable for weight- and nonweight-bearing bones, and is both machinable and drillable.